Design Your Garden in Ten Easy Steps with Nick Bailey and From Back Gardens to Gold Medals: A Look at My Start in Horticulture with Rosy Hardy

Join celebrated UK gardener and TV personality Nick Bailey for an inspiring and practical talk on how to design or reimagine your garden with ease. In Design Your Garden in 10 Easy Steps, Nick breaks down the garden design process into simple, achievable stages, perfect for both beginners and seasoned gardeners.

Packed with expert guidance, this talk covers everything from selecting the right plants for the right space to creating year-round interest and colour in the garden. Whether you’re looking to revamp a tired garden, start from scratch or inject new life into your outdoor space, Nick’s clear, step-by-step approach will give you the confidence and know-how to bring your vision to life.

As well as sharing invaluable design tips, Nick will delight the audience with entertaining anecdotes from his career in TV gardening, offering behind-the-scenes insights into the world of horticultural broadcasting! With his trademark enthusiasm and wealth of experience, this is a must-see event for anyone looking to transform their garden with practical, professional advice.

This is an indoor event held on the grounds of Altamont Plant Sales and starts at 3 p.m.

Join one of the UK’s most celebrated plantswomen, RHS Vice-President Rosy Hardy, for an entertaining talk that traces her remarkable horticultural journey. In From The Back Garden to Gold Medals, Rosy shares how a modest beginning—selling plants from her back garden—blossomed into the creation of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, now one of Britain’s leading specialist nurseries.

This session offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of horticulture, from nurturing perennials to preparing award-winning displays for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. With an astonishing 24 RHS Chelsea Gold Medals to her name, Rosy will reveal the challenges, triumphs and teamwork behind every show garden, as well as the passion and precision it takes to succeed on such a prestigious stage.

This down-to-earth talk is filled with expert tips, planting advice and practical insights to help you make the most of your own garden—whatever its size. From choosing the right plants for your conditions to achieving long-lasting colour and structure, Rosy’s advice is rooted in years of hands-on experience and a deep passion for perennials.

Whether you’re just getting started or looking to take your garden to the next level, this is a chance to learn from one of the most knowledgeable and approachable voices in UK gardening. Expect inspiration, guidance—and a few laughs along the way!

This is an indoor event which takes place on the grounds of Altamont Plant Sales. Talk time: 11.30 a.m.

In ‘365 Days of Colour in your Garden’ BBC  Gardeners ‘ World presenter Nick Bailey shows you how to plant and manage your garden, whatever its size, to ensure year-round colour and interest. Initially explaining simple colour theory principles and how to apply them to your garden, the book goes on to highlight beautiful plants and planting combinations for every season no matter what type of garden you have. With chapters covering the longest flowering plants, pot recipes and gorgeous plants for difficult sites, along with a comprehensive seasonal directory,  this book will inspire and delight both experienced gardeners and beginners alike.

Pre-order Nick Bailey’s 365 Days of Colour in Your Garden now through the Carlow Garden Festival website and collect your signed copy on the day of his talk. A perfect keepsake or gift for garden enthusiasts!

Nick Bailey is a freelance horticulturist, best-selling author, award-winning TV presenter, garden designer and speaker.

After studying horticulture at Hadlow College and achieving a 1st class honours degree in Landscape Design from Greenwich University, Nick has worked across many sectors of horticulture over the last 30 years, including nursery stock production, garden management, garden design, teaching, public speaking, writing and broadcasting.

Nick is currently a regular presenter on BBC Two’s Gardeners’ World to over 2.5million viewers. His film on plants associated with Shakespeare for Gardeners’ World won best TV programme at the Garden Media Guild Awards 2016.

He began his broadcasting career presenting Gardens Wild and Wonderful in South Africa (’95-’96) and spent four years as a panellist on BBC Radio Norfolk’s Garden Party.   Nick has since appeared on BBC 2’s Great British Garden Revival and Big Dreams Small Spaces, as well as ITV News and BBC 1’s The One Show, BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme, and BBC Radio 2.

Nick’s horticultural media career spans some 15 years, during which time he worked as an editor for Garden Answers and Garden News, moving on to write freelance for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, RHS The Garden, The Mail, The Times and The Telegraph.  He currently has regular columns in BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and Garden News.

Nick’s first book ‘Chelsea Physic Garden – A Companion Guide’ was published in 2014. His second book ‘365 Days of Colour in your Garden’ was published by Kyle Books in 2015 and has been a best seller ever since.  His third book ‘Revive Your Garden’ was published in April 2018.

As a dynamic and entertaining public speaker, Nick has taught and lectured for Greenwich University, Chichester College, The English Garden School, The Mediterranean Garden Society, The Hardy Plant Society and numerous garden groups and associations in the UK and overseas. He is a regular speaker at Gardeners’ World Live.

His work has taken him all over the world including designing and managing gardens in the UK, Spain, South Africa and Australia.  Nick created his first Main Avenue Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower show in 2016 for which he received extensive plaudits from the press and judges along with a Silver Gilt Medal.

Nick was also Head Gardener for London’s famous Chelsea Physic Garden, where he spent seven years redesigning the gardens and diversifying the plant collection.

Rosy Hardy is one of the UK’s most celebrated horticulturists, renowned for her expertise in herbaceous perennials and her pioneering work in sustainable gardening. In 2020, she was appointed an Honorary Vice President of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in recognition of her outstanding contributions to horticulture.

Rosy co-founded Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants in 1988 with her husband, Rob. Starting from humble beginnings—selling plants from their back garden at local car boot sales—the nursery has grown into one of the UK’s leading independent nurseries, specialising in herbaceous perennials.

Rosy is the most decorated female exhibitor at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, having won 24 Gold Medals. She has also received two Tudor Rose awards at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. In 2021, she was honored with the RHS Master Grower Award, further cementing her status as a leading figure in horticulture.

Beyond her nursery work, Rosy is an RHS Judge and serves on the RHS Herbaceous Committee and the RHS Geum Trials Forum. In 2017, she authored her first book, “25 Years of Chelsea,” which chronicles her experiences at the Chelsea Flower Show and offers insights into plant combinations and colour schemes.